1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system for increasing the battery power available for an electric vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for increasing available battery power when charging is available from a means that supplements regenerative braking.
2. Related Art
Electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles that are powered by a combination of electric and fueled motors include batteries that are typically charged by regenerative braking. Other sources of electric charge power can be provided to the electric powered vehicle to supplement regenerative braking. For example, the other sources can include a plug in charger that can be plugged into an AC wall outlet. A source of additional power can further include a solar panel.
These alternative charge current sources can supply current that exceeds the storage capacity typically provided in a vehicle that receives charge only from regenerative braking. With availability of an alternative current source for supplying charge to supplement regenerative braking, it can be desirable to increase the battery charge storage capability of the electric powered vehicle to store the added charge. It can be desirable to increase battery charge storage further when a longer than normal travel distance is desired and added battery weight is not a concern. For example, an electric vehicle may be designed to carry the weight of four passengers, but only one passenger desires to use the vehicle to travel a greater distance that a single battery charge will allow. The single user may desire to connect an additional battery to allow travel over the greater distance since the additional battery weight may no longer exceed the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. It would be desirable to provide a simple additional battery system for an electric vehicle that can be easily connected when the additional charge storage is desired by a user.